English cricket authorities reportedly face the prospect of a 16,000 dollars fine after match referee David Boon rated the docile Trent Bridge pitch on which England and India played out a draw in their first Test as 'poor'.
Former Australia batsman Boon's verdict, announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday, is the first time a Test pitch in England has been labelled as 'poor' by a match referee.
Boon oversaw proceedings at Trent Bridge where there were complaints about an unusually dry and lifeless surface that denied the pace bowlers their due reward, News.com.au reported.
Groundsman Steve Birks was reportedly forced to take the unusual step of issuing a public apology due to the severe criticism.
The ICC said that Boon, as per their regulations, had submitted a report to the global governing body expressing his concerns over the quality of the pitch and the report has been forwarded to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), which has 14 days to respond.
After the ECB's response, the ICC's general manager of cricket and chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle will consider all the available evidence, including video footage, to decide whether they agree with Boon's assessment and if they do then what penalty should be imposed under their pitch monitoring process, the report added.
